POIC Sabah is seeking WLP membership
Published on: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Bernama pic for illustration only.
Kota Kinabalu: State-owned POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd will sign a Framework Agreement which entail POIC’s port to become a member of the World Logistics Passport (WLP), thus linking it to an expanding membership of global companies and leaders in logistics. at the Expo 2020 in Dubai later this month.POIC Sabah Chief Executive Officer Datuk Fredian Gan said the signing will take place on Dec 23, at the Malaysia Pavilion, Expo 2020, Dubai.
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“WLP’s intentions in increasing trade between emerging markets is the kind of global alliance that fits into our plan of developing our POIC Lahad Datu as a regional processing and logistics hub in the east region,” he said in a statement, Monday.
POIC Lahad Datu, developed since 2005, aims to leverage on its strategic location within BIMP-EAGA, the Lombok-Makassar Shipping Route, deep harbour and comprehensive set of port infrastructure to grow as a regional aggregation hub for raw materials and downstream value-adding.
Gan revealed that WLP is a new trading global freight and logistics loyalty programme launched in 2020 under a directive of the ruler of UAE at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Since then, Sony, Johnson & Johnson, UPS, Pfizer are among global companies which have signed up.
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“It (WLP) aims to combine the strengths of national trade organisations, logistics leaders and multi-nationals to form a close knit alliance focused on trade growth.
“It hopes to supercharge supply chain development and bridge the gaps between manufacturing hubs that are expanding across emerging markets, particularly in SE Asia and Africa,” he said.
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Among the first countries to join WLP were Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
Malaysia (through Johore Port) and China were among countries that signed up in recent months. They included Ethiopia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Kenya, Paraguay and Ecuador.
Meanwhile, Gan believed that BIMP-EAGA’s global reputation as a ‘Global Basin of Natural Resources’ such as palm oil, petroleum, minerals should make it a subject of interest in the WLP network.
“WLP is part of Dubai’s Silk Road strategy which, according to its Ruler, is an initiative reflecting UAE’s vision to shape a brighter future for the world through innovative programmes which foster global trade cooperation.”
Dubai Expo 2020 opened in the UAE on October 1, and will continue until March 31, 2022.
Its theme is ‘Connecting Minds, And creating The Future”. A total 192 countries are participating. It has registered about three million visitors since the October opening.
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